November 2000
Bureaucracy, Politics People are beginning to ask questions about what our local government is actually doing? Where are they spending our money and what is actually been given back to us, the taxpayer? The lack of faith in any of the political parties is creating a real “damned if you do – damned if you don’t” attitude amongst the population and many in local politics fear that the voting public will show this in the forthcoming general election. Bureaucracy Education, Education, Education. The government promised it, but it seems that local education isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Industrialists have commented that a poor education policy is one of the reasons they are moving out of the area. Everyone seems to be questioning what the Department of Education within the city is going to do about it. It seems that the government funds are there, but no one’s doing anything with them. Church The money promised by the Millennium Commission for the redevelopment and building of new churches within the city has yet to materialise. Many in the Church suspect that the money as been re-diverted to other areas to boost public opinion, and comment that this is typical of the current attitude towards organised religion amongst the city’s financiers. Church, Occult What as happened to the so-called “Vampire Cult”? One minute, everyone seems to be involved, the next minute, its all hush – hush, and everyone’s denying it ever existed. Others further up the tree say that it’s all part of the conspiracy and that the higher echelons are keen to maintain power for themselves, freezing everyone else out of the organisation. Finance, Politics With the run up to the American Presidential Elections, everyone seems to be asking what the outcome will do to the strength of the Dollar? A Democrat win would increase public spending, thus weakening the dollar and business around the globe, whilst a Republican win will maintain its current position within the world economy. Finance, Industry, University Would you invest in the Potteries? Some analysts are asking this question as more and more major industrial groups move out of the area, blaming it on the wrong type of skills in the labour market. With the downturn of jobs, will the Potteries ever return to an era of Industrial Strength? Finance With all of the land that’s currently available due to a leaving industrial base, the best time for re-investment is probably now. Those seeking to buy land to make a profit should probably look out however, as ever since Lord Rogers Urban Task Force’s report was published, local government is stating investment, not profit, as the way forward for the private sector. Only one company currently seems to be intent on making headway into the area, but others are keen to jump on the bandwagon. Bureaucracy, Health Winter is approaching, and the question is of the burgeoning Flu Crisis? Public Health Authorities have been asked questions about whether they’ve put aside enough funding for this crisis or whether they’re going to just stand around like they did last year? It’s probably better to book your appointment with your doctor now to avoid the rush, as the situation will get worse before it gets better. Health, Media With the spotlight on the health service to prevent another tragedy like Bristol Children’s Unit, each Department is opening up the books to make sure that there are no skeletons in the closet before any journalist find them for them. High Society, Media Have you noticed how dead Stoke has become socially? No one seems to want to go out and anyone who’s anyone seems to be moving away. What is needed is an event to bring everyone together. Now if there was just someone with the cash and the connections to pull it together, others would get involved. No one seems to be putting his or her hands to get the ball rolling. Finance, Law Things are still buoyant for the small-scale practitioner, but with the cities industries beginning to dry up, larger firms are finding it difficult to maintain a client base. However, if you want to make money, with unemployment rising in the area, setting up a Bailiff firm may be a viable proposition. A lot of people will have problems with their bills this winter. Or maybe it’s time to expand to “other” clients. Law, Police With Scarab seeming to be as effective as ever, plenty of people still need a good lawyer if they’re going to beat the rap. Who knows? Maybe there will be a big case in the future; someone might get lucky and then just think of the publicity. Media There are plenty of stories to go around for everyone. Why are the industries leaving? What has the local government got to say about the Fuel Crisis? And what’s going to happen this winter in the Health Service? It’s a time to make or break future careers in the media. Finance, Media Reed Communications? It has gone awfully quite since the death of their Chairman. Apparently a new one has been appointed but even so, they seem less “direct” than they used to be. Groups that used to rely on them for good publicity have noted a downturn in their businesses, and various other causes are finding themselves on shaky ground. There’s even the possibility that they might be moving out of the area. Occult Things have gone really quite out there. One minute, it seems everyone and their grandmother is involved in “that which should not be”, the next everybody’s shutting up shop. The question is what do they know that everyone else doesn’t? Occult, Police, Street The sewer system seems to have calmed down a bit after the troubles of late, although I wouldn't go down there with just a flash light as back up yet. Media, Police There seems to have been some major changes in policy implemented by Scarab over the last month or so, and other police forces are now stating that they’ve moved on from being “a pumped up Group Four with more force than good sense”, into something approaching a model police force. It remains to be seen if this is the end of the changes, but many see this as a step in a more positive direction. Health, Police, Underworld All of the emergency forces seem to be gearing up for a future fuel crisis. Scarab are in discussions to implement increased patrols at fuel points if there is another crisis. They’ve also stated there will be stiff penalties for parties seeking to profit from any future fuel shortage. Politics You’ve got to be careful these days if you’re connected to politics in any way, one wrong statement and your own party will be after you. Everyone seems to be looking to see how you’ll deal with the winter, traditionally a time of high public spending. Street, Underworld Car related crime would be a really bad idea about now, everyone seems to be gearing up for another Fuel Crisis and if you go stealing their car they’re likely to take it quite personally. However, if you can get hold of and stockpile some spare fuel, you may be able to sell it on the black market in a couple of weeks. Law, Police, Street, Underworld With the changes in policy currently being implemented by Scarab, it remains to be seen how it will affect things out on the street. Arrests seem to be up, but the level of police brutality seems to be down. However if you get caught you could be in for a longer prison sentence. Media, Transport Flooding, Fuel Crisis, Environmental Controls and The Rail Crisis, can things get any worse for the transport industry? One thing is for sure, only the bigger companies will manage to weather out the ensuing storm. Bureaucracy, Media, Transport Hartshill Bank. Just when is it going to be finished? And why has the council felt the need to dig up the entire road? Are they looking for something, or is it a way of justifying their public spending budget? The traffic jams between Stoke and Newcastle seems to be getting worse every day. Media, Transport Railtrack have imposed speed restrictions between Stafford and Congleton and on the main line to Crewe. Passengers have to wait longer and longer for connecting trains and when they do arrive, they are already packed to capacity. Many of the train companies are facing stiff penalties for late services and yet Railtrack continues to profit. Street, Underworld Where are the major players in Stoke’s underworld? It seems that things are just happening at a street level and no one is attempting to co-ordinate things from above. Others are saying that this is just because the heads have managed to obscure their presence to the point where no one is looking for them any more. Either way, there is a lot of power available if you’ve got the right ideas. Underworld With the changes to the way Scarab’s being run, will it be easier to bribe the officer on the beat? It might be useful to have some cash in your pocket in the coming months. And with a lot of the industries moving out of the area, it might be the time to get your fingers into one of the bigger law firms, they might be able to write all those bribes off as a tax loss. University With the new students now settled in at the local universities its time to start looking at what future potential’s available. However government statistics are saying that A-Levels are getting easier, so it may be that there just isn’t the talent available any more. Street, University Drugs seem to be a lot easier to get hold of these days, as long as you’ve got the cash. On a related note, many students are turning to alternative means of financing as a way of paying tuition fees, and locals around the university sites have noticed a marked increase in prostitution in those areas. Bureaucracy, Law, Police, Politics Scarab’s lawyers seem to be pushing the courts for new legislation regarding their status to be passed. Although the details of such policy remains tightly under wraps, if implemented it is believed that there jurisdictional powers will go far beyond those of any other police force. Finance, Industry, Police Shares in Scarab seem to be fluctuating wildly, as more rumours of a possible take-over continue to circulate. As yet, no company appears to have made any bid, but analysts are continuing to view the company’s future upon the open market. Street, Underworld Scarab seem to be the big talking point of the moment, they’re back on the streets in full force, with new troops, new equipment, new techniques and a new policy towards crime. Things may be a little quiet over the next few weeks whilst people test the waters. Finance, Industry A new construction site has appeared on the outskirts of Stoke, but as yet it is unsure what is going to be built. GAOM appear to be the main contractor, and many of their company vehicles have been seen coming and going from the area. Bureaucracy, Finance, High Society, Media A local Pop Star has pledged £2 million to help re-house the growing homeless population of Stoke. Local government officials stated that this contribution was “characteristic of the underlying generosity of the city”. Although no plans have been put forward as to how the money will be spent; many are looking to the still derelict “Six Towers Project” as a possible solution. The project has been surrounded by controversy since its inception. Bureaucracy, Media The Hartshill Park Housing Project seems to be gathering momentum, despite the protests of many environmental groups against the destruction of such a long-standing area of parkland. The project has been surprisingly trouble free despite these protests, with many remarking how easy it seems to have all come together.